wall street kicked off the first trading day of president obama's second term with solid gains. helping push the blueererben ttd high were better than expected results from a cautious but hopeful dupt.hi the dow rose 62 points, the nasdaq added eight, and the s&p up 6.5 points. >> susie: today's gains extend a strong stretch of stock buying, one that began before the new year. despite concerns about corporate profits and debt negotiations in washington, investors are finally embracing equities again. suzanne pratt reports. >> reporter: perhaps it's optimism about a fresh start in washington, or maybe it's that the economy is finally building a stronger foundation. whatever the cause, the effect is that the dow, s&p 500 and nasdaq are all are up more than 4% in the first three weeks of this year. wall street veteran art cashin says with interest rates still so low, investors have a new taste for equities, particularly pension funds. >> they've got to up their risk profile, and therefore they're going to buy stocks. and some of that money is coming in not wildly, not open-armed, b